With so many business and social networking events offered it can be a difficult choice deciding where to spend your time and money. Part of the problem is you may not see your networking goals as an investment, both in your time and financially.
Think about this, how often do you meet someone for coffee to discuss business? You took the time to either walk, use public transport or drive to your destination = your time. You paid for bus far or gas = money spent. You purchased a cup of coffee or other refreshment = money spent. You spend an hour connecting with someone = your time.
If you are actively building a business then you do need to recognize the benefits involved in networking, otherwise at the end of a year you could look back and ask where your time and money went!
How do you decide how much time and money to spend on your networking?
- Research local business networking events.
- Check out costs involved
- Ask about benefits for guests and members
- Find out what kind of businesses attend the events
- What time of day are the networking events
You may prefer an organized networking event where you can enjoy a seminar and connecting with other attendees. Some of these events do carry a cost to attend as a guest, some may offer membership benefits. Alternatively you could enjoy a social networking event at a bar where you purcahse your own drinks and connect with other people.
So the question I posed as the title for this post was "Why The Small Business Community Network"? If we look at the list of members on the members directory, http://www.sbcncanada.org/profile you will see a diverse number of businesses. Some of the businesses are start ups, sole proprieters, and some are large organizations. What has become more relevant recently is for people who are thinking about starting their own business, but not sure yet, to attend SBCN monthly meetings and special events.
What do you have at a typical monthly meeting at the SBCN, a community of people who are all attending the monthly meeting for a reason. A coming together of individiuals who see the benefit of the seminars offered, see the benefits of building relationships with other attendees. You will also notice the consistency with which the dedicated networkers attend most of the monthly meetings. This offers them an opportunity to be seen, every month by people they know and people they will get to know.
Trust can be an issue in business, building the trust within a relationship,being memorable and seen to be seen offers you the chance to be the person who is offered the most referrals. Members and guests who attend monthly meetings and special events offered by the SBCN see the opportunities, they use these opportunities to move forward and move onto the next level of success.
Being popular still counts in business as it used to when you were in High School, you are seen as the most popular person when everyone wants to connect with you and get to know more about you. This is a foregone conclusion for the many members and guests who attend SBCN events.
Who to call when you need an IT professional, or a graphic designer, it is more often than not someone you network with on a regular basis and know quite well. No need to pick up the Yellow Pages, you can remember the person who inspired you or shared tips with you. That is the person who will get the referral.
We help our members and guests navigate the different aspects of networking, not only on a monthly basis but every day with our articles on the SBCN website and our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages. We showcase our members and help them stand out and be see in the spotlight.
But, whether you chose the Small Business Community Network, or a different networking organization be sure to know how much time and financial investment you want to spend on your networking goals.
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